BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.

We may earn a commission if you purchase a product through our links.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We may earn a commission if you purchase a product through our links.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.

We purchase every product we review with our own funds — we never accept anything from product manufacturers.

34
Models Considered

38
Hours Researched

1
Experts Interviewed

121
Consumers Consulted

Zero products received from manufacturers.

We purchase every product we review with our own funds —
we never accept anything from product manufacturers.

Why trust BestReviews?

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.

We may earn a commission if you purchase a product through our links.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We may earn a commission if you purchase a product through our links.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.

Buying guide for best cookware sets

Last Updated September 2019

Having a quality set of pots and pans can improve the ease and quality of your cooking. It is often cheaper to purchase a cookware set rather than buying the pieces individually, but there are several factors to take into account when looking for the best set for your kitchen.

Common materials include copper, aluminum, cast iron, and stainless steel, each of which offers different advantages and will determine the price of the set. You should have an idea of what pieces you will need, as there is no default when it comes to cookware sets. The number and variety of pieces is another major factor in the price of a set.

If you purchase a well-constructed set and treat your tools well, a cookware set should last you for several years, so it’s important to find one that meets your cooking needs.

Stay connected

Get exclusive content, advice, and tips from BestReviews delivered to your inbox.

Subscribe

Like us on Facebook!

When selecting a cookware set, remember that manufacturers count each piece separately, including the lids. Therefore, an eight-piece set might consist of five pots and pans plus three lids.

Which metal is best?

There are four common metals used to make cookware: copper, aluminum, cast iron, and stainless steel. Each type of metal has its pros and cons.

Copper cookware

Copper is an excellent heat conductor, providing even, quick heating and sensitivity to changes in the flame temperature. This makes it the preferred cooking material of many professional chefs.

Copper is also beautiful, and it makes an attractive display in your kitchen. The downside of copper cookware is its high price, need for polishing, and tendency to react with acidic foods. Copper also is prone to scratching and discoloration.

Aluminum cookware

Aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat, but it’s soft and easily scratches or dents. It also reacts with acidic foods, potentially leaching into your food. To prevent these problems, aluminum cookware is usually anodized. This creates a scratch-resistant surface that resists leaching.

Commonly, aluminum cookware has a nonstick coating as well, making cleanup a breeze.

Anodized aluminum pots and pans are very easy to find at bargain prices, but generally, a super-low price corresponds with low quality.

In terms of versatility, it’s hard to do better than the All-Clad Stainless Steel Cookware Set. The manufacturer uses a triple-layer construction method, sandwiching an aluminum core between two types of stainless steel. The outer stainless steel layer is flat-bottomed and magnetic, making it ideal for gas, electric, and magnetic induction stovetops. The inner cooking surface does not have a nonstick coating, but it does have a special "starburst" finish that discourages food from sticking. The lids are lightweight and engineered to fit securely.

Cast iron cookware

Although cast iron is a poor conductor of heat, once it does heat up, it stays hot for a long time due to its mass. It is very durable and relatively inexpensive.

However, cast iron is heavy, can rust or pit, and is reactive with acidic foods. Periodically applying a thin coating of oil (called seasoning) to cast iron helps prevent those problems, and it creates a somewhat nonstick surface on the cookware.

You’ll sometimes find cast iron cookware with an enameled surface, which eliminates the need for seasoning with oil. Nevertheless, these are still very heavy pots and pans.

Stainless steel cookware

Advantages of stainless steel include resistance to scratching, denting, and discoloration. Furthermore, stainless steel does not react with foods. It is a poor conductor of heat, however, necessitating a core of aluminum or copper in the cookware.

High-quality stainless steel pots and pans have a core extending over the entire pan; low-quality stainless cookware will just have an aluminum or copper bottom.

Stainless steel pots and pans generally costs more than anodized aluminum pots and pans, but they are very versatile and suitable for just about any type of cooking the average home chef wants to try.

DID YOU KNOW?

Some types of metal cookware are more suited to certain types of cooking than others. For example, if you do a lot of browning or braising, you’d likely get the best results from stainless steel. Cast iron cookware is great for skillet baking.

What pieces do you need?

Once you have determined which metal you want, it’s time to determine how large a set of cookware you need.

While you could buy pots and pans separately, it usually makes more economic sense to buy a set. It’s also easier and faster to select an entire set. But don’t hurry into your decision, and don’t make the mistake of assuming that a bigger set is always better. Most people don’t relish the idea of filling their cupboards with cookware they never use.

If you’re an infrequent or casual cook, a set containing just the basics would probably cover your needs. If you enjoy cooking and spend lots of time in the kitchen, however, a larger set with a few specialty items would likely serve you well. And if there are specific pieces of cookware you need beyond that, you could purchase those pieces individually.

A basic cookware set that covers most cooking needs includes the following.

10-inch skillet – large enough to cook up breakfast or fry a few burgers

Although your cookware might be labeled as safe for the dishwasher, it’s still best to wash your pots and pans by hand. This is especially true if your pieces have a nonstick coating, which wears away with repeated dishwasher exposure.

Staff |
BestReviews

Tips for choosing cookware

Pay attention to the integrity of the handles

Handles should be riveted or welded to the cookware. If held only by a screw, the handle is likely to come loose and eventually fall off.

Determine whether silicone or metal handles are better for your needs

Silicone handles are easy to grip and don’t transfer heat. However, they are not oven-safe at high temperatures, so if you do a lot of stovetop-to-oven cooking, you’d probably be better off with a skillet that has a metal handle.

Consider cookware with glass lids

Glass lids make it easy to check the progress of your food without lifting the lid and letting heat escape.

Make sure the lids are of high quality

Cookware lids should fit securely. They should not rattle or leave gaps.

Cookware knobs should be of high quality, too

For safety’s sake, cookware knobs should be heatproof and large enough to grasp easily. They should also be tightly attached to the lids.

Once you have your basic set of cookware, feel free to add pieces made of different metals. For example, a cast iron skillet is perfect for cooking bacon or scrambling eggs, but you might not want an entire set of cast iron cookware.

Tips for using cookware

Baby your cookware by using wooden or nonstick cooking utensils

You don’t want to scratch nonstick cookware with metal or sharp edges. A good, basic set of cooking utensils includes:

Slotted spoon

Ladle

Slotted spatula

Basting spoon

Pasta server

Turner

Store your cookware carefully

Even the hardiest of metals will sustain scratches or nicks if not stored properly. Nonstick surfaces are particularly prone to scratching.

Wash your nonstick cookware with a scrubber that is nonstick-safe.

It is rarely a good idea to place nonstick cookware in the dishwasher.

Be prepared to replace your nonstick cookware every few years.

Even with the best of care, nonstick coatings eventually scratch and wear away.

Know which type of cookware is best for your cooktop.

Use stainless steel or cast iron cookware if you have an induction cooktop. Use flat-bottomed pots and pans if you have a smooth electric cooktop.